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Van Wert County Courthouse

The Van Wert County Courthouse was designed by architectural firm of Thomas J. Tolan & Son and built in 1876. The building, located at 121 East Main St. in the county seat of Van Wert, is still in use and today houses the Van wert County Court of Common Pleas.

The courthouse features Second Empire style architecture and is constructed of pressed brick and stone. Tolan also incorporated into his design of the courthouse materials that were not yet tested at the time. His use of pressed metal both in the interior and exterior of the courthouse reduced the cost of construction and also gained him and the courthouse notoriety in Industrial Monthly in 1876. The courthouse features a bell tower with a large clock and a mansard roof. Above the courthouse’s entrance is an eight foot tall statue of Lady Justice made of zinc.

Van Wert County is named for Isaac Van Wart, a soldier during the American Revolution and one of the captors of the British spy John André. John André was notorious for negotiating the betrayal of the West Point Fort with Benedict Arnold, an American Revolutionary general. The courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.